Bücher von Stephanie Schorow

A gripping narrative of the worst nightclub fire in American history, which killed 492 people in World War II Boston.

For two days in November, 1872, a massive fire swept through Boston, leaving the downtown in ruins and the population traumatized. Coming barely a year after the infamous Chicago fire, Boston's inferno turned out to be one of the most expensive fires per acre in US history. Yet today few are aware of how close Boston came to destruction. Boston author Stephanie Schorow masterfully recounts the fire's history from the foolish decisions that precipitated it to the heroics of firefighters who fought it. Lavishly illustrated with period artwork and photographs and published just before the fire's 150th anniversary, The Great Boston Fire captures the drama of a life-and-death battle in the heart of the city.

Boston has always been known for its stiff character. So how did this great New England city become home to one of the largest and most notorious adult entertainment districts in the nation? In this expertly crafted history, veteran reporter Stephanie Schorow teases out the issues that created this controversial neighborhood, giving voice to the players who sought to tame or profit from the sleaze snaking its way through Boston. At turns comic and tragic, Schorow introduces us to the politicians, exotic dancers, and wise guys, and residents brought together by the adult entertainment district-a five-acre neighborhood the city engineered to contain the very porno plague it wanted to eliminate. (Meet the nun-turned-attorney who advocated for the First Amendment rights of adult bookstores, a dancer called "the thinking man''s stripper," and Boston''s unofficial city censor.) For these people and thousands of others, the Combat Zone is more than a memory-it was a life-altering adventure.

From the revolutionary camaraderie of the Colonial taverns to the saloons of the turn of the century; from Prohibition-a period rife with class politics, social reform, and opportunism-to a trail of nightclub neon so vast, it was called the "Conga Belt," Drinking Boston is a tribute to the fascinating role alcohol has played throughout the city''s history.